How to make wrapped leather bracelets

Let me begin by stating the obvious – this style of wrapped leather bracelet is EVERYWHERE this season. Everywhere! Even my athletic clothing catalogs – which only have maybe three pieces of jewelry – are featuring this style. Why? Because it is casual yet chic and infinitely customizable! The catalog (which shall remain nameless) priced each bracelet at $120. Needless to say, you can make your own for far, far less using supplies from Rings & Things!

4-6mm round beads We used gemstone beads, but glass, crystal beads or pearls would also be lovely. The number you need depends on how many times you want to wrap the bracelet around your wrist. Larger beads work too – but they will start getting heavy on multiple-wrap styles. All the bracelets pictured in this post use 6mm. Our new wrapped bracelet kits use 4mm beads. <– The kits are great, because once you make your first bracelet, you’ll have plenty of thread and needles left over with which to make many more!

Leather cord Our examples use Greek leather. Both the 1.5mm and 2mm worked great.

Thread Needs to be sturdy and able to pass (doubled) through your beads twice. Pick a color that matches your leather or that provides a pretty contrast. We used earth assortment). We now have tubes with all black or all brown bobbins available too!

Choose your bracelet length and cut your leather. The formula is double your finished bracelet length plus extra for making the knots. For single-wrap bracelet, measure your wrist and then triple that number to get the length of leather needed (7″ wrist = 21″ of leather). For a triple-wrap, multiply your wrist by seven (7″ wrist = 49″ leather). It is better to leave your leather too long than to end up with not enough.

Cut a long piece of thread (10-12 feet) and thread your needle. Knot the end of the threads.

Knot the leather and thread together, leaving a loop on the end.

Holding the thread by the knot, let the needle fall to the ground so it is centered on the thread. Fold your piece of leather in half, leaving a loop large enough for your button to fit through. Holding the knot-end of the thread with the leather, tie an overhand knot so that your thread and leather are now connected.

Make sure your button will fit through the loop before you tighten the knot.

Attach your piece to a work surface.

Using binder clips or clothespins, attach your loop to the top of a piece of cardboard. Use a second clip to attach the leather ends to the bottom of your board (leave the thread loose).

Starting with your thread in the middle of the two strands of leather, wrap the thread OVER the right strand to the outside, then UNDER the right, OVER the left to the outside, then UNDER the left and OVER the right. It is a simple figure-8 stitch.

Over, under, over, under – once you get a rhythm going, the bracelet is super easy to make!

Do this 5-6 times, pulling the thread tight around the leather to form a binding. (The pattern could go either way, but since I’m right-handed I’m going to describe it this way. Reverse it if needed!) Here is a close-up of the lashing:

A few stitches without beads secures the thread nicely on the leather.

Now you are ready to start adding beads. After your thread has passed UNDER the left leather, add a bead. Hold the bead between the two strands of leather, and stitch the thread OVER the right, back UNDER the right, THROUGH the bead hole again and OVER the left. Bring the thread UNDER the left and add another bead in the middle. Repeat many many times! Keep the beads pulled in snugly against the leather. Pay attention so that your stitches all face the same way. If your thread seems to snag a lot, use a bit of thread conditioner or beeswax on it.

Adding the first bead to a wrapped bracelet – but really I’m posting this picture to show off Jaci’s manicure!

A work in progress. See how the beads line up inside the leather?

To finish the bracelet, form several stitches without beads, just like you did in step 5. Now you are ready to attach your button or bead. Ideally, you’ll have enough leather left to tie on a button with a nice knot on the back and trim the ends.

Long tails makes it easy to tie on a button closure.

If your button has a small loop, you might need to miter (angle) the leather end and pull it through with pliers.

If somehow you come up short, all is not lost. You can tie a disk bead onto just one strand of the leather (use glue to enforce your knot), like on the 2nd bracelet from the left. Or if your ends are really short, use a hook-end crimp, as shown on the pink bracelet on the right.

If desired, add a touch of glue to the knots to ensure the thread is gripped securely by the leather. Trim ends as needed.

Other design options:

String your button or bead clasp first, then tie a series of knots on the end to make the bracelet length adjustable.

Use jump rings to attach a couple of charms, like on Mollie’s Belle Star bracelet.

Leave the leather tails long and add beads or decorative knots.

Substitute a different type of cord for the leather, as in Tracy’s rattail and dragon blood jasper design:

Have fun creating your own wrapped bracelets! You’ll find it is quite addictive once you start. Please feel free to post questions – I will do my best to answer! ~ Cindy

A: It’s best if you can avoid running out of thread (start with 10-12 feet to avoid running out). But if you do, start a few beads back and go through them again. This means you’ll have to go through some of your beads 4x, which (depending on your beads and cord) might be impossible. Other problems are that your bracelet will be weaker than if you were able to use 1 continuous thread, and you’ll be able to see the section that has twice as much cord as the rest of the bracelet.

A2: Get really good at hiding knots in your beads. =)

A3: If you’re down to just a tiny bit of thread, it is going to be hard to tie the ends onto new strands, but if you realize you’re not going to make it and cut off the needle, rethread and knot the strands together, you can probably pull the knot inside of a bead. I hope this makes sense – basically you’re not “starting anew” but pausing, adding on some extra thread and picking up right where you left off. 🙂

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322 Comments

Instead of using regular thread for the beads, if I wanted to use the “twisted thread” such as in Tracy’s rattail and dragon blood jasper design (not talking about the leather cord), how would I go about the technique for threading the beads onto the twisted thread? Is it any different from this tutorial which uses regular thread?

Hi Cindy how are you I am 12 and my mom is 33 and we were wondering if you can help us with the DIY and especally me because I am 12years old but my mom knows how to.So can you please help me and my mom.p.s. just to let you know I am watching your shows on YouTube for the DIY braclet and it looks confusing so can you please help us.From Sapphire Eden,Summer Abernathy

When I am making my bracelet some of my beads pop up a little and I cannot get the beads to be in a smooth line. Not sure how to clarify this. I think it may be how tight or not tight enough my thread is.

Hi Mandee! Yes, that is the hardest part! Thread tension is definitely key. We’ve found double-stitching through a bead every so often and using smaller beads near the ends to create a taper effect help us keep those little buggers in line. Good luck!

Hi Justina! I believe the rattail button started with a loop – it just looks different because the button had two large holes and Tracy knotted the cord on the outside to create the “tassel” like finish. 🙂

Hi Katy! For some reason no one – including the manufacturer – seems to list thread thickness…frustrating! Size D is considered “medium fine.” I can’t find an official exact measurement anywhere, but with my calipers it seems to be about 0.19mm. Hope this helps!

Hi Liz! We just snipped it off close to the leather knot…some people use a bit of glue here. You can also knot it off before the leather knots by stitching back through the lashes before the beads. That probably doesn’t make much sense unless you have already made one though! Good luck 🙂 Cindy

I’ve made one of these bracelets for a male friend of mine and he loves it. I used 1.5 mm black Greek leather with 4mm black onyx round beads.

My problem is that after a couple of weeks of his wearing the bracelet the beads shift along the leather cord causing them to bunch up on each end, which looks horrible. I’m thinking my thread (Nymo D) tension is too tight, but maybe it’s the wrong thread. I don’t wax my thread either.

Hi Linda! Yes, the tension can be an issue. I think the best solution is to double stitch through a bead ever few inches – that way when the beads shift a bit due to normal wear and tear, they only shift a bit, instead of all the way down the bracelet. Stretching the thread before you start can also help reduce that problem. Even “non-stretch” thread seems to stretch a bit with the weight of that many beads. Hope this helps! Thanks for sharing your results too – it helps us all! 🙂

Hi Cindy – Can you tell me approximately how many 6mm beads are on a “strand” sold on the rings-things.com website. How many for 5mm beads as well? I was figuring about 30 6mm beads for a single wrap and how many if using 5mm beads. Thank you so much. My girls and I can’t wait to try these!

Hi Heidi! There are about 67 6mm beads per 16″ strand and about 81 5mm beads. Just 2-3 beads difference can really change the fit of the bracelet, so I tell people just to go with what fits best rather than a formula. With the average woman’s wrist being under 7″, it is pretty safe to bet you can make 2 single wrap bracelets with just one 16″ strand of beads. Happy beading!

I want to thank you for posting these directions! I just finished my first attempt at making one and am very happy with the result. I am going to make a bunch as gifts! I would love to send a pic of my bracelet to share. Thanks again!

I love the bracelets! I got the leather and beads that I need to get started, but still looking for thread. I couldn’t find SuperLon at a craft store such as Michaels or AC Moore. I wanted to buy it physically from a store so I can get started making them right away! I can order if I have to, but was wondering if you have any recommendations for a type of thread that would be sturdy enough for this project and size that I could find at a craft store. I’m not familiar with sizes or types. Any help appreciated! Thanks!

I also had trouble finding Super-Lon or Nymo thread at craft stores. I looked at the regular thread display and saw that upholstery thread was 100% nylon. The colors are limited, but I found one that matches. I’m working on my first bracelet now and it seems to be going well with the upholstery thread.

Amazing tutorial, I have a bracelet I have been dying to fix for years, the beads gave way from the thread. Wondering if there is any alternative to the leather cord? I do my best not to buy or wear leather.

Hi Kendra,
They won’t give you quite the same look or feel, but they should work. 1.5mm – 2mm waxed cotton should work very nicely in place of the leather. Most hemp cord is a little thinner, and more flexible, so it might be trickier and/or give you a different look.

Thanks so much Cindy, great tutorial and love the photos. I have a bracelet I have wanted to fix for years, a number of the beads gave way from the thread.
Wondering if there is an alternative to the leather cord?
I do my best nowadays not to buy or wear leather.
Thanks so much.

The formula is double your finished bracelet length plus extra for making the knots. For single-wrap bracelet, measure your wrist and then triple that number to get the length of leather needed (7″ wrist = 21″ of leather). For a triple-wrap, multiply your wrist by seven (7″ wrist = 49″ leather). So for a double-wrap, somwhere in between – like 3.5 to 4.x

It’s best if you can avoid running out of thread (start with 10-12 feet to avoid running out). But if you do, start a few beads back and go through them again. This means you’ll have to go through some of your beads 4x, which (depending on your beads and cord) might be impossible. Other problems are that your bracelet will be weaker than if you were able to use 1 continuous thread, and you’ll be able to see the section that has twice as much cord as the rest of the bracelet.

Can you tell me exactly what type of cord and thread was used in the rattail and dragon blood jasper design? I love the way the cord looks instead of leather and the thread looks heavier than other threads “ve seen in these bracelets but I like it. Thank you!

I used the 61-741 series rattail and the 61-514-52 Jade Green needle end cord. We do not have the exact color rattail I used anymore, but we still carry a number of colors to choose from. I do have a bit of bead wiggle since my cording is not as stiff as the leather, but I put extra lashing in my design and just smooth out the ends once it is on my wrist. I like how soft it is and it’s really comfortable to wear.

Hi Dr. Baba,
You’re right – you definitely don’t want to run out. Although this length may seem difficult, cut a long piece of thread (10-12 feet), then double the cord after threading the needle. (See steps 2 and 3 above).

Yes, normally you just go through each bead twice (once from the bottom, then over the top cord, and back through from the top). To tighten things up, repeat that whole process.
If your bead holes are too small to repeat that process, then your bracelet is *likely* to not need any tightening anyhow.

These look so cute! I stopped by Michaels last night and got everything I need to make a triple wrap bracelet. My question is this: as a homeschooling mom, this is going to be my nap time/after bed time project; any thoughts on the best way to “pause” the process, as well as how best to store it? Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Hi I was wondering of the thread that is 10-12 ft long is for a triple wrap bracelet? I’ve made a triple wrap (my favorite) and my thread seems to always be too short, and I have fairly small wrists. How much would you recommend for a triple wrap? Thanks.

I thought the 10-12 feet should work for a triple wrap, but there are a few variables that could change it. I have a few questions to try to narrow this down:
a. Roughly how much of your bracelet are you completing before you run out? (How many wraps, or how many inches?)
b. What size/shape beads are you using?
c. What diameter is your outer (heavy) cord?

Hi. I also ran out of thread for a triple wrap. I cut 6 feet of size 2 Beadstring (not doubled) and got 2/3 of the way through. I’m using 4mm beads and 2mm leather cord. I’ll try starting my new thread a few beads back, as was suggested to Rachel.

What went wrong? Any do you have any other tips, both for starting a new thread, and avoiding this problem in the first place?

Hi Tricia and Jennifer,
I’ve asked around and we’re stumped!
Quite a few people here have made triple-wrap bracelets using this math for the leather: multiply your wrist by seven (7″ wrist = 49″ leather), and then 10-12 feet (doubling it, so it’s 5-6 feet doubled) for the bead cord, and had no problem. For a larger wrist, you’d need to add a bit more cord of course.
But you have excellent company in blog-comment-land. We’re just not sure what is going on differently, since it’s not an issue we’ve run into.

Sorry, no fresh tips (just the ones in the suggestions to comments above), for starting a new piece of thread.
Other than this one from Jaci here at R&T who says “get really good at hiding knots in your beads”. She doesn’t mean that in any negative way — it is what she’s had to do with other projects, but for some reason she hasn’t needed it with this style of bracelet.

I’m wondering if some of the 2mm leather cord out there in the world, is really 2.5mm and this makes enough difference? I know that our goatskin leather cord from India varies +/- 0.2 or maybe even 0.3mm on rare occasions, but not 0.5mm.

Thank you for this tutorial! I Just made my first one with leather cord and beads from other projects. I used a strong thread I had in my sewing kit so I’m not sure it will last too long, but we’ll see! And the leather is wide, so it lays differently than a round cord, but it still looks pretty good for my first attempt! Not sure if my ends will hold, but with a dab of glue, I hold out hope. I can’t wait to hit Michaels and purchase some of the right materials to make more of these.
Thank you for sharing this!!!!!!!
~Cindy N.S.

Hi Amy,
That may simply be a limitation of the finish/coating on the metallic leather cord. I recommend asking your supplier, partially in case they have a good idea, and partially to make them aware it cracks when used that way. The only “repair” I can think of — but I’m not sure how well it will work — is to use metallic pens to touch up the leather where it is cracking.
~Polly

Hi, I am looking for thread to use for my bracelet and i would like to order from only one site! So the types of threads they carry are C-Lon Cord and C-Lon Thread in size D. The C-Lon Cord does not come in any sort of Lettered size. So if you don’t know what im talking about, C-Lon Cord is a heavy, twisted nylon light cord that is fairly stiff. It is small enough to fit though most beads 6 mm and up, including 6 mm Swarovski Crystals. Then there is C-Lon Thread which is Size D – Standard weight beading thread for peyote, square stitch, brick stitch, beadweaving, loom weaving, and all types of bead work with seed beads.

I have searched for two days for a tutorial on these bracelets. Your tutorial is by far the simplest and best explained that I’ve found so far! I’ll be going to Michaels this weekend because there isn’t a craft shop within 30 miles from where I live :(. Thanks so much for this tutorial!

Thanks Brenda!
If the quality at Michaels doesn’t work out for you (they vary!), you can of course buy from us (http://www.rings-things.com/). All the links above lead to the items in our online store. But I understand wanting to see the items “in person” before buying, so hopefully one of our Bead Shows (http://www.rings-things.com/show) is near you in the Spring or Fall and you come check us out!

Thank you SO MUCH for this tutorial! I found this on Pinterest, and pinned it awhile back. Although I went out and purchased the supplies I needed, I put off making it. I thought it looked a bit complicated. I was SO wrong! I made my 1st one last night and I LOVE it! It was really easy, and snappy. I finished it in nothing flat! I’m already making my 3rd…in less than 24hrs! I always wear lots of bracelets and cuffs and I am really grateful that I don’t have to spend loads of cash on my obsession. This bracelet IS my new obsession. Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU, Cindy!!! :))

Just started making some bracelets to give away as Christmas presents, and let me tell you, they are turning out BEAUTIFULLY! They are super easy (and yet entertaining) to make, and there are infinite customizing possibilities. These wrap bracelets are the first kind of jewelry craft I’ve done, and yet they look deceptively complicated once finished. The hardest part about the whole process is keeping the thread from tangling (but that is most likely a user error). Thanks for this great how-to post!

Hi there. Have you tried making these bracelets with 1mm leather cord? I can get a whole roll really cheap so would prefer to use that if I can. Great page, will be making some of these tonight, thanks heaps!

Hi Stephanie,
Although I haven’t done it myself, I’m sure you can use thinner leather. I’d suggest using smaller beads with the thinner leather (4-6mm instead of 8mm or bigger.) I think your end result will be more flexible than if strung with a thicker leather base. ~ Rita

Fold your cord in half, so the loose ends hang down together at one end, and the other end has a loop (like in the picture marked “step 3”). About 1 inch from the curved end (with enough room for your button to fit through once the knot it tight), tie a plain basic knot. The most common knot is a basic overhand knot, but simply tie any knot that will stay in place. You now have a loop at the top.

Oh hey – I didn’t think I could provide a link, but I googled “overhand knot with loop” and actually got some decent google image results!

Hi, i was wondering if there is a way to somehow incorporate a small silver plate or something of the kind in the bracelet?…sort of like beads, then tie the string through holes in a small silver plate and then beads again…sorry if its confusing i dont really know how to explain it haha 🙂
Thank you, and sorry if it was misleading!

Hi Sarah, I’m sure there is a way!
You might even be able to add the silver plate after the entire bracelet is done.
I’m betting you mean something like a stamped nameplate.
If the plate is very long, you’ll want it to be a bit curved, to match the curve of the rest of the bracelet.

The first one may be a bit slow, but after you get the rhythm down they are pretty quick!
One poster said she was a bit worried before she started, but when she posted, she was making her 3rd in less than 24 hours!

Hi Karen, Everything in this blog post is available from Rings & Things! I’ve gone through to add a few more links. You can also try searching our store (www.rings-things.com) for TierraCast Buttons, and you’ll see most of these, plus some newer styles.
If there is any particular item that I miss a link for, and you can’t find, let me know and I’ll supply a link for that too.

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